Antiterrorism Policy Essay -- Government Intervention, Global Issues

Does being peaceful and showing goodwill in the state indicate terrorists have the license to work at their freewill?? Indeed it does!! Soft policies against terrorists will definitely create a lot of positive headlines but at the same time it puts to stake the survival and security of its people and primarily disturbs the government's commitment towards preserving national interests. The Mumbai terror attacks of 11/26 shook India and stunned the world, clearly revealing huge chinks in the country's anti-terror armor. A year later, the sole surviving terrorist captured by authorities, Mohammad Ajmal Kasab is given the right to seek freedom before the courts of law, the masterminds of the deadly assault are free and the country harboring these terrorists- Pakistan, is probably laughing at our weakness, dismissing us as a state whose outrage is easily calmed by tokenism. Our leaders say, war is not the only way to assert one's strength, dialogue with Pakistan is the best recourse given the volatile situation in the country. But, isn't this 'anti-confrontation' policy responsible for India's failure to check terrorism? Isn't India a soft state? India, being a secular democratic state has always faced difficulties in maintaining its integrity every now and then. But the unity amongst people and the prevailing brotherhood among countrymen have kept as intact despite being the most diversified country in the world. We are renowned to be kindhearted and generous towards others. We like our friends and love our enemies. Call it Gandhigiri or national ethics, compared to other nations, people in our country are not outrageous or rebellious when it comes to "International Relations" (only when it comes to international r... ...etic condition of the poor find higher priority. It is difficult to turn away from the harsh reality-high population, illiteracy, unemployment, social marginalization, poverty, highly appalling condition of public health and much more make our country weak. We need to track these issues right to their ancestral roots in order to come up with a permanent remedy. Sooner the headship realizes this, the better for the nation. On the track to betterment there is no gray, it's black or white, yes or no. There is no scope for a counterfeit policy. We can no longer put to stake our successful trail by swaying into mediocre sources of insinuation. Hence it becomes highly important for the Government to stand up to such situations in future and demonstrate the right mix of power and bargaining strength to neutralise the antagonist and avoid becoming a soft state.

New Zealand :: essays research papers fc

NEW ZEALAND   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The country that I am doing for my report is New Zealand. New Zealand is made up of two Islands. The north and the south islands. It is located in the south pacific by Australia.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first people to settle New Zealand came over from east Polynesia by canoe during the 10th century. These people were called the Maori. According to a Maori legend, a man may have arrived in New Zealand during about 950 ad, but this can not be proven. The Maori people lived on the Island on native fruits and vegetables and animals, and they also brought over plants and livestock from Polynesia. The Maori were usually peaceful, but sometimes had wars over the best land. They lived in earth-made structures similar to the adobes of Mexico.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first European to sight New Zealand was Abel Tasman in 1642. The Maori people kept him from landing on the Islands. They attacked his ship by canoes and killed four of his sailors. He never returned to New Zealand. In 1769, an English explorer, Captain James Cook, was sent to New Zealand on a scientific investigation. He mapped all of the north and south Islands and made reports on trade and colonizing. These reports were good and attracted many people to New Zealand, including the French, Italian, and American explorers. By the 18th century, there were 180,000 Maori people on the north and south islands of New Zealand. During 1840, the treaty of Waitangi was signed between the British and the Maori people. It gave the British a right to colonize the Islands and trade with the Maori people. In 1907, the Islands were declared a dominion of Great Britain. In 1935, It was declared an independent country and was named New Zealand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The present day government and standard of living in New Zealand is very much like that of the U.S. At one time the yearly income of New Zealanders was even better than the U.S. and Great Britain. The people of New Zealand have freedom of religion. The main religion in New Zealand is Christianity, even though there are Jehovah's Witnesses, Muslims, Amish, and many more. The Maori religion is also a major religion. The people of New Zealand have a mix between Britain and Australian accents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main exports of New Zealand are wool and dairy products. There are over 100,000 sheep in New Zealand.

Cinematic Techniques in Nabokovs Laughter in the Dark Essay -- Movie

Cinematic Techniques in Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark    Vladimir Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark takes the movies for its style as well as its subject matter. In recounting the farcical tragedy of director Albinus and starlet Margot, Nabokov imports a wide variety of techniques and imagery from the cinema into the novel. But Nabokov's "cinematic" style is not analagous to that of a screenplay: the polished prose is always tinged with the novelist's trademark irony. Gavriel Moses notes that    Nabokov's most consistent reaction to popular films in their public context is his awareness that the film image... is overwhelming in its insistent claim to presence and, as a consequence, to truth. But in formula films perceived uncritically or absorbed inertly, film tends to displace... what is really important in life and to impose its own schematic simplifications upon life's teaming and idiosyncratic details. (62)    Virtually all the characters in Laughter in the Dark take their understandings of life from the film industry. Their ideas and impressions, therefore, tend to be rather banal, predictable, and superficial. Nabokov's people never surprise the reader, never think unusual thoughts, never reveal unexpected depths. In contrast to the complex psyches found in Tolstoy and Chekhov, for instance, Albinus, Rex, and Margot are cartoons, with speech balloons floating above their heads. Indeed, even their thought processes resemble the interior monologues of characters in Hollywood films. So, for example, when Nabokov transcribes Albinus's silent thoughts, he employs a standard voice-over template:    Albinus, his queer emotions riding him, thought: "What the devil do I care for this fellow... ...chcock: Fifty Years of His Motion Pictures. New York: An Anchor Book, Doubleday, 1992. Originally published by Hopkinson and Blake in 1976.    Works Consulted Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Vintage Books, A Division of Random House, Inc., 1999. First published 1955. Raguet-Bouvart, Christine. "Camera Obscura and Laughter in the Dark, or, The Confusion of Texts." Translated from the French by Jeff Edmunds. Seifrid, Thomas. "Nabokov's Poetics of Vision, or, What Anna Karenina is Doing in Kameraobskura." Copyright 1996 Board of Trustees of Davidson College. Originally published in Nabokov's Studies #3 (1996). http://www.libraries.psu.edu/iasweb/nabokov/seifrid1.htm Simon, John. "Vladimir Nabokov: The Russian Years." From The New Criterion Vol.9, No.6, February 1991. http://www.newcriterion.com/archive/09/feb91/nabokov.htm   

Lightning and Electrical Storms

It is but considered that lightning and electrical storms are naturally ocurring events in nature where by we tend to be oblivious about it. Yet, its intensity brings about changes which may affect us to our advantage or disadvantage.Oftentimes, children are scared of the sound of thunder brought about by the blinding flash of lightning. In ancient times, lightning is associated with the wrath of a higher power as is evident with the Supreme god of Olympus, Zeus and the god of Thunder,Thor. To our ancestors, this is a sign that people will be punished for the bad deeds done, being superstitious at that. At present, lightning is associated with powerful mind-created characters often seen on televisions and some flicks.These beliefs though was not proven to exist in reality but these shows only the notion that lightning is indeed powerful. Now, one would ask what lightning is and why is there a need for lightning and electrical storms to occur? It is not just there as part of natureâ⠂¬â„¢s wonder.What is Lightning?Lightning is an electrical discharge between two different fields of charges which is formed in electrical storms (Learn More About†¦; par. 1). It is deemed that lightning has a heat three times greater than that of the sun’s surface. Usually, it is evident when rain clouds are present. Credit on lightning discovery is usually given to Benjamin Franklin with his kite and key experiment during a thunderstorm. This is because he pioneered the first experiment on showing electrical conductance of lightning as opposed to those ahead of him (Lightning; par 2,3,4 &5)..  However, hoew lightning came about has many explanations. There are many existing theories on how thunder is formed and which of which is still disputed.How lightning comes   aboutLightning is dtermined to be caused by difference in charges but, how it is generated is what is still uncertain till present.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scientific studies are curr ently being conducted as to how it is generated. However, theories are proposed on how these charges are accumulated.One is the Polarization Mechanism Theory which states that falling droplets of ice and rain acquire charges before they hit the ground through electrostatic induction and another theory is the Electrostatic Induction Theory which, on the other hand, states that opposite charges in clouds are separated by energy between them and collision of charges with ice crystals brings about increasing intensity in charges inside the cloud. This increased intensity will soon find release in the form of lightning (Lightning; par. 11 & 12).The process after electrical charges are acquired and in which it should be released is a rather complex one. Usually in a rain coming, a cumulonimbus cloud is what is known as the source of lightning (Lightning ; par. 2). This type of cloud possesees a strong electrical charge and varies in horizontal difference of the cloud. At the base, the cha rge is strongly negative while at the top, it is strongly positive. This charges are being separated by an electrical field which is an energy in nature to keep the charges from colliding. The energy in the electric field is directly proportional to the cahrge of the particles between it.As the charges continue to increase in both sides brought about by collision, so is the amount of energy in the electric field. This intense energy causes the repulsion of the charge in the earth’s surface by the negative charge of the cloud causing the earth’s surface to gain positive charge.What happens next is that the electric field inside the cloud provides a path for the conductance of charges between the negative charge at the bottom of the cloud and the positive charge of the earth’s surface. This path is the air in which it is ionized by the strong electric field of the cloud. This process is known as air ionization. This causes about the formation of the flux line wher ein the lightning will travel through. Upon completion of the necessary path, the continuous build up of energy in the cloud causes about the outburst   of this energy which travels through the ionized air and the set flux line towards the positive charge. What travels here is what we know as lightning (Zavisa; pt 1, 2, 3 &4).On the other hand, the thunder that we know of is the sound formed after a lightning. This is caused about by lightning as it heats and expands the air which produces the sound known as thunder. As we all know, light travels faster than sound; reason why we hear thunder late after a lightning (Lightning:The Shocking Statistics; par. 6).Types of LightningThere are different types of lightning. The most common of which is the Cloud-to-cloud lightning and the other is the cloud-to-ground lightning.  Cloud-to-ground lightning is the most dangerous lightning. This is also the most destructive to properties. This occurs when lightning hits the ground or anything on earth’s surface. Being the most common, it is the most understood type of lightning (About Lightning; pt 4).Another is the cloud-to-cloud lightning which is also known as intra-cloud lightning. Intra-cloud lightning occurs when lightning transfers from cloud to another cloud or within the same cloud. This type occurs lesser in frequency than cloud-to-ground (Lightning Detection from Space; page 3).There are many other types of lightning and are named based on optical illusion and appearances. These are ball lightning, heat lightning, bead lightning, sheath lightning, black lightning and many others (Lightning Detection from Space; page 3).Effects and Damages of LightningLightning, which occurs along with electrical or thunder storms, are light flashes brought about by disturbances among the charges. It is known that lightning replenishes the  nitrogen supply in soil in which it hits. But with its great strength, this poses great danger among individuals.From the span of year ’90 to ’92, lightning killed four people and injured 127 individuals. It averages 80 kills per year in the United States alone (Lightning: the Shocking Statistics; par. 1).Moreover, lightning kills 55% more people than tornado and 40% more than hurricanes. It causes a loss of 15 – 20 million dollars each year to infrastructures. More so, the US Department of Agriculture reported that lightning causes about 80 % of accidental deaths in livestocks (Dworkin; par. 8).People are evidently exposed to the hazards of lightning. Damages to building, infrastructures, forest and wildfires, downed power lines and loss of life are just among its effects (Multihazard Risk†¦; spt. A).These also causes airplane disasters as it hits a flying craft. It was reported that in 1963, a plane strucked by lightning near Elkton, MD, killed 38 people. It is also noted that plane crashes in 1982 in Kenner, Los Angeles, and 1985 in Dallas, Texas was brought about by lightning. The past decade also took notice of 15,000 fires caused by lightning in the US alone causing wide property damage and loss of 2 million acres of forests (Multihazard Risk†¦; spt. A).ConclusionEvidently destructive by nature, lightning is inescapable. But, there are many precautions which one would be able to take to prevent or minimize the losses brought about by lightning strikes. First is to listen to weather forecasts so that one would not be in the open when an electrical storm came. Second is to manage an electrical conductor in houses or if in a car, better stay in the car as it is a good conductor. Next is to stay out of an open field where  you eould be the tallest object to be hit by lightning.   Another is to stay calm and stay as low as possible when it is inevitable that electrical storm will come when your outside the safety of your own home. These are few among the possible preventive measures (Protection†¦; par. 2).Presently, experiments on lightning deflec tors to be placed on planes are being conducted. Spires are also being improved to be placed on skyscrapers. More so, the prospect of harnessing lightning’s power as source of electricity is on its way.Who knows, one day, we would be able to truly deflect lightnings disastrous strikes to our advantage.OUTLINE: IntroductionWhat is lightningHow it comes aboutTypes of lightningEffects and damages of lightning (stats) especially in st louis missouri us and midwestConclusionReferences:â€Å"Learn More About Lightning and Thunder.† 2007. 30 April 2007 .â€Å"Lightning.† 2005. 30 April 2007 .Zavisa, John. â€Å"How Lightning Works.† 2007. 30 April 2007 .Dworkin, Gerald. â€Å"Emergency Procedures During Thunder and Lightning Storms.† 23 February 1998. 30 April 2007. .â€Å"About Lightning.† 2007. 30 April 2007. .â€Å"Multi-Hazard Risk Identification and Assessment.† 2007. 30 April 2007. . â€Å"Lightning: The Shocking Statistics.† 20 07. 30 April 2007 . â€Å"Lightning Detection From Space.† 2007. 01 May 2007 . â€Å"Lightning.† March 2007. 01 May 2007 . â€Å"Protection Against Lightning.† 2007. 01 May 2007 .

Critique of an article using the Scientific Method Essay

The paper Politics and Inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean is a research paper authored by Evelyne Huber, Francois Nielsen, Jenny Pribble, and John D. Stephens. This paper is a time series analysis of the impact that politics and policy bring about on inequality in the scope of Latin America and the Caribbean. This research is based on various models consisting of sociological and economic variables, plus the strength of the democratic tradition, as well as the distribution of long-term legislative partisan political power and the social spending to explain inequality variations. As a study that aims to analyze social factors and its effect on the inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean, this research was able to conform to the Scientific Method, despite some instances where there are some unsupported arguments. Basing on the Scientific Method of research, we’ll first know what these researchers wanted to find out. What do these people want to learn about? The researchers’ primary concern was to determine what factors are contributing to the inequality levels in Latin America and the Caribbean. Their initial expectations were political variables such as partisan legislative power, strength of democratic tradition, and the nature of social expenditures were the ones initially determining these inequality levels. Another assumption regarding this matter is that these variables have weights different from the ones in advanced modern/industrial societies. One of their basis for this assumption is that most advanced industrial countries have uninterrupted records of democracy as compared to that of Latin America. These countries were able to establish welfare states that redistribute the income. They’re basing their assumption on previous records like the overall size of welfare states and the structure of taxation expenditures. Closely looking at this matter, we can say that what these researchers wanted to find out was somehow in line with the use of scientific method. They came up with an inquiry which is based on previous data. They also gave their hypothesis as to what they expect about their assumption. In relation to this, their assumptions were given as an answer to their inquiry, and that will be the basis of how they’ll go about with this research. They came up with a set of data gathered from previous information from other studies and published articles. One of the bases that they used was studies which utilized multiple regression analyses of inequality in developing countries. They used this information as a pattern or guide in conducting their own study. One study made by Morley is about the determinants of differences in inequality of income distribution among countries in Latin America. Here, he combined multiple regression analysis with case studies of nine countries. Because of this, he came up with variables which play an important role in his research. These variables include national income, inflation, education, economic reform indices and land distribution. These variables are essential because it can also be used for other researches like this one. Basing on the scientific method, we can say that it this research made full use of the information from previous studies. They were able to gather essential information which they could use in proving their assumptions for this study. However, they may have overused the information and relied on it too much. There is a great resemblance of their research with that of Morley’s, that’s why it ma have resulted to something similar. The point is, they could have altered several aspects in other researches and not just utilized everything from that one into their own. If they are expecting to find something new, then their research should be something new also. Other researches are there for additional information and guide, that’s why they shouldn’t dwell on it always. The researchers came up with different hypotheses on democracy, political parties, social spending, economic development, inflation, demography, ethnic composition, education, foreign direct investment, the informal sector, and land distribution. They were able to give arguments and related studies as to how these factors were able to affect the inequality in Latin America. However, the way they presented these factors and how they reasoned out regarding its effect on the state of inequality in the area is questionable. The scientific method should be based on facts and concrete evidences. Surely, they were able to provide related literature for most of the factors, but in some, they also tried injecting their own opinion without giving any basis for saying that. The scientific method relies on how you will be able to back up your statements by using previous studies or materials from previous researches. If you are to say something without backing it up with concrete evidence, then the information you are relaying is questionable. The research posed a lot of information regarding these factors. But not all of the information that they gave were verifiable by evidence, so the credibility of their statements are somewhat questionable, thus making their research somewhat weaker. The next step of the scientific method involves gathering and organizing data for the research. Here, we see that the researches devoted enough time and effort to come up with sufficient data. Their main sources of information were secondary data from various country’s statistics, and how it was related to that country’s social and economic situation. They utilized various analytical methods in interpreting this data, sorting it in manner where one could clearly see how it affected the inequality for the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In this part, they were able to stick to the scientific method of conducting a study wherein they properly gathered and sorted the data to be analyzed. As a result, they were able to come up with the necessary information which was interpreted. The results are there in order to verify and support the hypothetical claims that they made earlier on the study. This could either prove or disprove their assumptions. The next part of the scientific method is the discussion of the results before actually concluding the research. The results showed that the assumptions regarding the outcome of the study were strongly supported, wherein politics is really important in shaping the inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean countries. The democratic records were one of the strongest evidence for this, along with the cumulative record of the strength of left-of-center parties in the legislature, as well as the interaction of social security spending and democracy. It has left us with the conclusion that democracy is very important for inequality. This could be quantified in two ways, which are: 1) it allows the leaders who are concerned with the welfare of the underprivileged to let them build organizations in the form of political parties, and 2) allow those parties to establish a support base, and to gain necessary influence in the legislature and be able to use that influence to shape various policies is the direction of redistribution. The conclusion can be well associated with the scientific method, as it summarized the results and mentioned the possible implications of the research. Another problem is whether the research can easily be repeated for the purpose of verification. With all the necessary factors at hand, reproduction of this research may be hard because the political state of a country can be changed, thus affecting the variables it has previously possessed.

Injustice in the Adversarial System Essay

Donald Black discussed in his book The Behavior of Law, when a society begins to grow and become more complex so does its legal system. The United States uses a system that may no longer be fit for handling all the complex problems it is faced with. Society has come to learn through the justice system that truth is very hard to find. The nature of the adversarial process may prevent it from reaching the true goal of every legal system: justice. This writing argues that the system in place now is not the correct one for the stage society is in now. The adversarial process in place does not search for the core values of â€Å"Justice† and â€Å"Truth†; its inadequacies create errors in the legal system. The legal system should abolish its value of â€Å"winning at all cost† and the methods it uses to achieve this outcome. This paper will not only shed light on the flaws in the legal system, but present other structures that may be better suited for the present stage of society. Blueprint A few brief critiques of the adversarial process include that during a trial procedure both sides are given the opportunity to present facts to the jury or judge, this allows attorneys to withhold evidence and benefit the side they represent. This confuses the courts instead of elucidating the truth. Cases such as this should not be able to come to a guilty or not guilty verdict, because guilt cannot be proven with a degree of accuracy (Meadow, 1996). Stratification in law does lead to inequality and perpetuates injustice in society. The procedure that is used in our criminal justice system has the ability to lead to a false confession and create mistrust in the system. Bias in our legal system does lead to injustice. All of these factors do create injustice in our legal system by sending innocent people to prison and/or by letting convicted felons free. There are many theories in how to solve the problems with the adversarial process and the legal system in general, but society must change the way it reasons before anything can truly change. History of Common Law and the Adversarial Process To better understand the adversarial process it must first explain through its history and origins. Common law practice developed the adversarial process; England adopted common law and made its practice known throughout the world. Legislators began codifying the law, this later became common law. It was written so that it could be interpreted by the court system. When the courts make a decision in how that law is to be applied it is preserved, and able to be used as a guideline for other cases of the same nature. This proved to be a problem, decisions made by judges were based on the customs of the time period, which became rigid and did not easily allow for change (Cantor, 1997). The English form of common law prohibited representation in court however, during the eighteenth century some courts where beginning to allow legal representation in English common law. Eventually as time progressed, the role legal representation, lawyers, would grow and be more influential in society. The part the Lawyers played in the court system would eventually be the aspect that separated the adversarial process implemented today in the United States from the processes in England. Law became more and more complex so the use of lawyers or professionals of the law was essential in American law making. New research by Randolph N. Jonakait, New York Law School professor, suggests that the United States adopted an adversarial process that somewhat resembled the English model at the time. Besides the already mention use of lawyers, the U.S differed greatly from England, during the 18th century; America had prosecution with a public defender present in the court room compared to no legal representation for the accused in the English model. Also in New Jersey around the same time period, attorneys usually appeared for the prosecution and the defense which in England was rarely practiced. These findings demonstrate that the United States was a forerunner in the creation of the adversarial process that is present today (Jonakait, 2009). Search for Truth: Lawyers and Their Tactics One of the main concepts of the adversarial system is the oppositional presentation of facts. The belief behind this is it will discover all truths to the matter. This leads to the conclusion of the first flaw: that realistically everyone involved in the case is not in search of the truth. â€Å"Lawyers are more apt to hide the evidence that is not favorable to their side regardless of whether it would prove the innocence or guilt of the person on trial† (Schroeder, 2012). Clients hire lawyers to win; the economic state of the client is directly related to the skill level of the lawyer they can afford. Lawyers who are more expensive will use any tactics necessary to ensure a win. The search for truth is not a key value; it’s keeping your client pleased, being the defendant or the state. Attorneys are known to use questionable tactics so that they have the best possibility of winning their case. These tactics include: creating doubt in the jury of guilt or innocence, or even by hiding evidence from the jurors. The search for truth and the execution of justice cannot be fully performed if lawyers proceed to use unethical tactics. Solutions to the Hiding of Evidence A purposed solution to hiding evidence can be demonstrated with a value demonstrated from the inquisitorial system, everyone in the court room works together in search for the truth and justice. The judges, or investigative magistrate, are trained in their profession, taking specific schooling about law making them a vital resource to the legal system. While court is proceeding the judge is allowed to ask questions to keep a case in order. Using a system that does not glorify winning would help the hindering of evidence and other tactics being eradicated form the court room. Although, one flaw with this system is the judge is granted too much power and control over the proceeding, more justice is still found here searching for truth. Stratification in Law It is proven that â€Å"once arrested, black and minority defendants are fare worse in the criminal justice system than their white counter parts† (Westervely & Humphrey, 115, 2008). This is due to racial stratification in law and a bias based on race in convictions. Instrumentalist would say law is used to dominate groups, and is structured so that it can benefit certain groups by disadvantaging other groups, by allowing this to happen it perpetuates inequality (Bucher, 2012). Many minorities are unable to pay for legal representation; in this situation the courts provide representation for them. This disadvantages minority individuals in low social class because they lack resources to secure a good lawyer, while high social status clients are able to easily obtain skilled lawyers. This perpetuates stratification because upper class individuals can evade the penalties of the legal system, unlike lower class individuals who cannot afford strong legal representation (Vago, 2012). Marxist theorists would confirm that laws serve the interest of the upper class, and because they use them like a tool, keep the upper class in power. This reinforces inequality in society through the criminal justice system, because the upper class will always be able to have access to more resources they will also always use those resources against the lower class (Bucher, 2012). Process in Criminal Justice Is Justice Served? The pressure felt in a case created by media and the public eye have the ability to cause investigations to be sped up. The endangers the adversarial process to make mistakes and possibly out of convenience and pressure convict the first person they think committed the crime. Once police officers make an arrest they tend to not pursue any other possible leads until the person they have in custody is proven to be innocent. This hurts the search for truth because officers become close minded and search only for evidence to convict that individual. Another factor that can deter the search for truth is false confessions. False confessions, among other factors, are commonly created due to unethical interrogation tactics or confused eye witnesses testimony. â€Å"A confession is one of the most powerful pieces of evidence that can be presented in court† (Westervely & Humphrey, 36, 2008). Even if the confession is false, juries have been known to take into consideration testimony even when told not to. False confessions are usually given by suspects who are coerced, confused, have doubt in-self, or shame. All this can be attributed to the psychological games used by interrogators, intentional or unintentional (Gudjonsson, 1992). Can true justice be served when police use unethical tactics to get their confession? This is a question scholars who study ethics have pondered with for decades. Bias in Law There are many principles to consider when a jury is deciding a verdict. Racial beliefs, media and number of factors can influence a jury’s verdict (David F. Hall, 1984). Since each individual interprets the process of the trial differently it greatly influences the decision of case. The way society is socialized leads to certain bias to people of different races, genders, sexuality, and backgrounds. These factors greatly influence a cases outcome, even though lawyers are allowed to select their jury it is impossible to know each person individually (Albonetti and Hagan, 1982). In common law, legislature creates the laws that are written down and left for interpretation by the judges of the court, this is called statutory interpretation (Bucher, 2012). The strength of this system of law is the ability that law has to change; downfall is that it leaves room for bias in the interpretation of law. Some scholars suggest that law and the legal system is patriarchal. The feminist legal theory suggests that the legal system is male dominated and perpetuates gender discrimination (Bucher, 2012). Language can be biased in law; the United States suffers from this weakness. In the Declaration of Independence biased language is evident. â€Å"All Men Are Created Equal† a line from the Declaration of independence has brought forth discussion and conflict because of biases behind the words. Women have fought for their rights to be considered equal because society takes the patriarchal documents literal, progress is slowly made. Everything, including law, can be interpreted differently, making the judge’s job detrimental to the court process. The discretion of the authority in the court system, although important, also creates inconsistency in the legal system. African Americans account for 49.4 percent of the 1.3 million Americans in prison (Westervely & Humphrey, 2008). Two different theories can explain the bias in society that explains the high population of African Americans. These theories are the Individual Explanation Theory and the Structural Explanation Theory. Individual Explanation Theory This theory focuses on the behavior and traits of those involved in a trial. Racism is a factor in explaining why an innocent person is tried. This happens because the adversarial system does not focus on searching for the truth and allows the jury to makes a decision on beliefs and prejudices of a certain race. Stereotyping is also included when a jury convicts someone on account of preconceived notions of a group (Westervely & Humphrey, 2008). Structural Explanation Theory This theory provides two explanations for the bias. The first is the Blalocks Power-Threat Hypothesis. The hypothesis states that the increase in minority conviction is due to whites trying to keep power and control over minority races by disadvantaging them. The second explanation states that the treatment of minorities in the criminal justice system is a reflection of societal beliefs. â€Å"Equality in the criminal justice system is not possible until everything else is equal† (Westervely & Humphrey, 128, 2008). Plea-Bargains and its deficiencies Due to the amount of offenders that go through the U.S. court systems prosecutors are more likely to use plea-bargains to settle cases quickly. â€Å"It is estimated that roughly 90-95 percent of all criminal convictions are arrived through plea–bargains† (Vago, 118). This tactic can be linked to stratification and inequality, when a person on trial does not have the finances for a good lawyer the assumption is that they will lose. This makes a plea-bargain more appealing, as it is the best option to avoid a longer sentence (Kipnis, 1976). â€Å"The Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigent Defendants summarized the state of representation as follows: â€Å"Overall, there is abundant evidence in this report that defense services for the poor are inadequately funded. As a result, millions of persons who have a constitutional right to counsel are denied effective legal representation†Ã¢â‚¬  (Mosteller, 2011). This is another factor to cause change in the legal system so that truth can properly be found. The ability to plea-guilty hinders the search for truth and justice. In the inquisitorial system guilty pleas and plea-bargaining are not allowed so that the system can properly search for the truth. It does not give the accused rights, unlike the United States. While in the United States the adversarial process gives the accused the ability to plead guilty for a lesser sentence which some would consider â€Å"soft† on crime. In the adversarial process after a confession is given, the investigation is typically over even if the individual is innocent. In the inquisitorial system a confession is not warranted since it is the duty of the court to come up with evidence and prove guilt (Berger, 1972). Injustice With all this bias in our legal system this gives room for errors in justice. â€Å"An error in justice is any departure from an optimal outcome of justice for a criminal case† (Frost, 2004). There are two types of errors that can be described: systematic and random. Systematic is when there is an error within the law that consistently creates injustice. When a law is in enacted and it oppresses a certain group consistently this is systematic injustice. Random errors are created while criminal justice officials are enforcing the law and the error is sporadic (Frost, 2004). Both of these can create errors of due process, which is when the rights of the accused are violated. The first error is miscarriage of justice; an example of this is when an innocent man is convicted of a crime. The second type of error of due process is error of impunity, when an error in the procedure of due process is committed and as a result guilty convict is set free. Both of these do create great mistrust in the legal system and deter people from getting involved within its legal processes (Sherman, 2002). This can lead to what Black was suggesting when he stated that law will shift back to a more primitive family based form of sanctions, because of mistrust in the authority that was supposed to protect them. Change With new understandings of societal factors (race, gender, sexuality) the adversarial system needs to be revised so that it aids the search for truth or it will be blinded by these factors. Society has grown complex and so has its problems with in the legal system. The courts must come up with different resolutions for crimes and convictions, not just a â€Å"one size fits all solution†. In essence the adjudication system is not wrong, but the misuse of evidence and human error leads to mistakes. One might ask should we change the adversarial system entirely or fix the many flaws within the system. The current process being used relies on the state (prosecutor) to determine if the court should or shouldn’t present the evidence accumulated from the crime, or if that would benefit the accused in some way. All evidence should be given to a neutral party, such as the court, and have the court system decide what should be done. This would remove the ability of the prosecutor to hide facts that could be essential to the investigation (Westervely & Humphrey, 2008). In an ideal system the court should base their decision after learning all the facts, without any evidence withheld from either side. There can be a mixture of different processes, which can better achieve justice in a complex society. For example, a different process would be needed to determine if a dangerous criminal is guilty than that of finding parental rights. Forms such as the inquisitorial investigation, mediation, private problem-solving, group negotiating processes could be used to search for truth. Conclusion The adversarial systems values do not match what the goals of the system should be. In the ideal system restorative and rehabilitation justice would be utilized to the fullest in order to help the people going through the criminal justice process learn and become productive members of society. Society’s beliefs are that of retribution and vengeance. Society as a whole wants to see criminals punished for crimes that they feel where committed upon them. To completely change the beliefs of the criminal justice system, society needs to change its values from retribution and vengeance, to a form of justice that will help society instead of looking for revenge. Values in the criminal justice system represent what that society believes in. The belief in winning shouldn’t be enforced, like the adversarial process has done, because it does not accomplish what the main goal of the criminal justice system is: to provide justice to the citizens of the country the system serves, along with the search for truth. The values of rehabilitation and restoration should be the foundation on which we build our new system. If this is done than our society will begin to help its self in creating a strong nation that is just and true. References Albonetti, Celesta and Hagan, John. Race, Class, and the Perception of Criminal Injustice in America. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 88, No. 2 (Sep., 1982), pp. 329-355 Berger, Moise. The Case Against Plea-Bargaining. American Bar Association Journal. Vol 62.pg621.(1972) Black, Donald. The Behavior of Law. The University of Michigan, Academic Press. 1976 Bucher, Jacob. Law and Society. Lectures. Baker University. 2012 Cantor, Norman F. Imagining the law: Common law and the foundations of the American legal system. HarperCollins Publishers (New York). 1997. David F. Hall et al., Post event Information and Changes in Recollection for a Natural Event, in Eyewitness Testimony: Psychological Perspectives124 (Gary L. Wells & Elizabeth F. Loftus eds., 1984) Frost, Brian. Errors of Justice: Nature, Sources, and Remedies. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.2004. Gudjonsson, Gisli H. The psychology of interrogations, confessions and testimony. Wiley series in psychology of crime, policing and law. Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons. (1992). xii 362 pp. Humphrey, John A. & Westervely, Saundra D. Wrongly Convicted: Perspectives on Failed Justice. Rutgers State University Press. 2008 Jonakait, Randolph N. The Rise of the American Adversary System: American Before England. New York Law School. Widner Law Review. V14.2009. Kipnis, Kenneth. Criminal Justice and the Negotiated Plea. The University of Chicago Press. Ethics , Vol. 86, No. 2 (Jan., 1976), pp. 93-106 Meadow, Carrie M. The Trouble with the Adversarial System in a Postmodern, Multicultural World. William and Mary Law Review. V.38. 1996. Merrill B. Hintikka & Jaakko Hintikka, How Can Language Be Sexist?, in Discovering Reality, supra note 31, at 139. Mosteller, Robert P. Failures of the American Adversarial System to Protect the Innocent and Conceptual Advantages in the Inquisitorial Design for Investigative Fairness.2011. University of North Carolina School of Law. Sherman, Lawrence W. Trust and Confidence in Criminal Justice. NIJ Journal, March (2002): 23-31. Vago, Steven. Law and Society. Pearson Education, Practice Hall.2012.

B Wordsworth

â€Å"B. Wordsworth† is the creation of V. S. Naipaul about the story of a boy and a man who felt like being a poet but, unfortunately, could never be one. As one of the most widely read and perhaps interpreted writers of Caribbean descent, V. S. Naipaul presents a poetic view of the challenges of being part of Caribbean society during that time. It reflects the impact that a foreign culture and a foreign language had upon the natives. Yet, it does not condemn this fact but rather embraces it in an unfamiliar way.The main character, B. Wordsworth, is a tramp, a vagabond who resides in a very simple one room hut that is surrounded by weeds, trees and bushes that are overgrown. He not only lives a life of modesty and simplicity but he also has an unusual appreciation for nature. This is shown by his comments on the stars and during the time when he shows the young boy the different trees. The thing that made him different, however, was the fact that while he was a man of simple means he spoke English in a peculiar, unnatural manner.It is this fact which draws the attention of the young boy and invites the scorn of his mother. A critical analysis of the circumstances and the events that transpire in the story will reveal that there is an internal struggle that the characters have to face. The misplaced English that the boy speaks as compared to the flawless English of B. Wordsworth mirrors the social climate in the Caribbean during that time.This contrast also reveals the irony that exists in the life of not only the boy but also the vagabond as the realization of having a dream but not the capacity to pursue such dawns upon him in the twilight of his years. B. Wordsworth and perhaps the boy who followed his dream wanted to be poets but could never be one. The seemingly poetic language of the boy and the poetic nature of B. Wordsworth show that the poetry existed not in language but in his lifestyle. The magically garden that existed amidst the concrete jun gle is a testament to this but is sadly one that was torn down only to exist in the boys memory.